Bonzour*!
My name is Chadvee and I come from a tiny island by the South East coast of Africa, Mauritius. For those who know of Mauritius, you probably automatically think of sandy beaches, lukewarm waters and amazing sunsets. You are spot-on! However, another amazing thing about my country is the fusion cuisine created by the different cultures mixing together for hundreds of years.
I like to think that this is what gave birth to my passion for food and travel. Although this has been used many times before, I do live to eat. The idea of a perfect date is good food; a perfect hangout with friends is eating food; a perfect work team-building event is over good food; and obviously a perfect wedding is where there is good food. I am embarrassed (or am I?) to admit that most of my income goes towards eating out or buying expensive coffee at hipster coffee shops or huge cakes slices at Patisserie Valerie enough to feed two (but why would I share?) or deciding that I want to become an organic ethical food shopper and picking the most expensive ingredients to try ‘Tasty’ recipes.
My idea of being rich is me walking in my massive kitchen equipped with everything “Kitchen Aid” and a beautiful island with a granite counter top. I open my sliding door on a small garden that I take care of myself and pick my fresh herbs while whispering ‘I love you too’s to the ones I won’t be using today. I’m learning how to make fresh pasta and decide to make some lemon ice tea on this hot summer day… sorry, I digressed.
My Treasure
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” – Paolo Coehlo, The Alchemist
When I was a little girl (yes another “when I was a little girl” cliche but really, isn’t that when most creatives find their passion?) I would sit in front of my TV and watch Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Ainsley Harriot and Anthony Bourdain teach me about food and travels around the world. I was smitten. There is no other way to describe this feeling. I fell in love and I fell hard. I remember calling my mum a million times to come watch Jamie do his pasta trick or Ainsley grill lobster or Anthony run around because he had a flight to catch to the next big city. I looked at her and told her that that was the dream. How could it not be?? Travelling, discovering and eating and calling this a job?? And thus, I found it, my treasure.
See, my mom is a great cook herself. I would argue that most chefs out there would tell you their greatest inspiration was their mom, dad or grandparent. Mine was too. At a very young age, my mom had taught me how to make curry, casserole and roti (Indian bread). She taught me how to cook okra so that they did not get slimy. She taught me how to remove the bitterness from bitter melon. She also taught me that the best way to eat fried bitter melon was to pair it with creole style chicken (thank me later). But as most Indo-Mauritian parents (60% of Mauritians are of Indian origin, including myself), my parents had a plan for me. The plan was for me to graduate from a top university and get a great, stable job in an office. Unfortunately, that plan is still a work in progress.
At 18, I got accepted at King’s College London and after 3 years came out with a degree in Business. I was back in Mauritius, working in banking (as most business degree holders dream to) and quit after a year. I joined education management and quit after 2 years. I was good at both jobs, I just felt that something was missing. I told my parents,” being great at something does not mean you are passionate about it”. I pondered on my next step and decided to take the easy way out, I joined grad school. This leads us to 2018, around the time you are, hopefully, still reading these words.
Being a Local Tourist
I also realised, through my travelings, that I am more a of +2 weeks traveler and I like to take my time to travel, blog, work remotely, discover new food and relax. I am not the type of person who will wake up with a packed agenda of touristy things to do in the next 10 hours (unless my arm is being twisted). I like to just walk around the local streets, talk to the shopkeepers and children who want to impress me with their pretty good English (so cute!) and observe the differences in cultures around the world. Hopefully, if you feel that way too, you will bookmark my blog as a place to find refuge in. Many people think that travelling is something you should dream about while scrolling through endless
#travelgoals feeds on Instagram. I used to be one of those people, once upon a time. But rest assured there are ways you can travel, make money, eat exotic food and still (if you want) call some place home. Follow me to find out more!
“New and stirring things are belittled because if they are not belittled, the humiliating question arises, “Why then are you not taking part in them?’’” – H.G. Wells
Isn’t it funny how you read a quote and it just resonates with your soul? Have you felt that? It’s a amazing feeling, isn’t it?
Keep an eye on this page, great things are about to happen.
xo
Chadvee
*Bonzour is the Creole (mother tongue of Mauritians) word for Bonjour (French) or Good day (English)
PS: If you want to wok with me on writing or digital marketing, click here to learn more!
